2022 Awardee Heritage Information

Awardee:  Tatyana Christopher

High School:  Holmes County Central High School. Lexington, MS

Residence: Tchula, MS

College:  Mississippi Delta Community College

Major:  Elementary Education

Professional Goals: "I hope to pursue a career in teaching, helping to mold young minds, and serving as a role model for them. I also want to form a community dance group to help to provide extra-curricular activities."

Heritage Inspiration Statement: "I cherish my family's love and support daily. I treasure my grandmother's time talking about the 'good old days and how they had to work hard to provide for the family. … I try to give that same love back to them by working hard in school and at home and being the best person I can be."

Scholarship Awarded: Reedy Family Memorial Scholarship

Award Amount:  $600

Awardee:  Marcus Glover

High School: Hillcrest High School, Glenwood, Illinois,

Residence: Country Club Hills, IL

College: Kirkwood Community College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Major:  Electrical Engineering

Professional Goals: "I want to be an electrical engineer with a stable income and support my family.

Heritage Inspiration Statement:  "Much of my inspiration came from my grandmother, who studied hard to become a registered nurse. Her passion for being a nurse has driven me to believe that I can be whatever I want to be in life."

Scholarship Awarded:  William Jordan Campbell Memorial Scholarship

Award Amount: $500

Awardee: Zanaishia Hawkins

High School: Holmes County Central High. Lexington, MS

Residence: Tchula, MS

College: The University of Mississippi

Major:  Multidisciplinary Studies

Professional Goals: "I want to become the best anesthesiologist in the history of medicine."

Heritage Inspiration Statement: "My grandmother often tells me stories about her past, and these conversations help me understand my past family. She was born (in the mid-1940s). She often tells me stories of her growing up on a plantation and her hard life. Four of eight of my aunts and uncles were also raised on the plantation and lived harsh lives, but they are amazing people who did not let their past ruin them."

Scholarship Awarded: Migration Heritage Foundation General Scholarship

Award Amount: $500

Awardee:  Tamaya R. Pitts

High School: Hillcrest High School, Country Club Hills, IL

Residence: Country Club Hills, IL

College:  Tennessee State University

Major: Criminal Justice

Professional Goals:" My dream is to become a successful criminal psychologist."

Heritage Inspiration Statement: "My great-grandfather was of first-generation descent from slavery, and (he) was the first agricultural teacher in Yazoo County, Mississippi. As a teacher and entrepreneur, he provided opportunities for working on his farm for students and others seeking employment…. (I) feel like I can continue the legacy of creativity, dedication, and community activism."

Scholarship Awarded: Hermie Tripplett Campbell Scholarship

Award Amount: $500

Awardee:  Ajah Webster

High School:  Holmes County Central High. Lexington, MS

Residence:  Durant, MS

College: University of Southern Mississippi

Major: Pre-Nursing

Professional Goals: "I am planning on becoming a traveling nurse, and I would love the idea of patients remembering me. Just the thought of me helping someone in January and them remembering me multiple years later warms my heart."

Heritage Inspiration Statement: "One of the most influential people in my life is my grandmother. My grandmother has been on this earth for almost seven decades. She has been through a lot and is still standing today. My grandmother has raised ten children on her own. Although that may seem like it has nothing to do with anything, my grandmother inspires me to leave an impact on the world."

Scholarship Awarded: Maurice Wade Memorial Scholarship

Award Amount: $500

Awardee:  Sequoya Williams

Residence:  Durant, MS

High School:  Central Holmes Christian School. Lexington, MS

College: The University of Southern Mississippi

Major: Nursing

Professional Goals: "After completing my degree, I plan to become a critical care nurse. I want to become a successful traveling critical care nurse eventually. The pandemic only heightened the need for nurses, and critical care nurses are in short supply. I want to be a nurse that makes a difference. I want to be there for families when a health plan must change, and you're not quite sure what that means for your family. In 10 years, I would like to be at the height of my career serving patients and families with compassion, dignity, and heart."

Heritage Inspiration Statement:  "I do not know anyone whose commitment to helping others surpasses my grandmother's. She is 80+ years of age and served as a nurse during her younger years. In addition, she was deployed as a wartime nurse during the Vietnam War."…" Her legacy of helping others was passed down to my mother. My mother is a traveling nurse that goes to facilities with high rates of COVID. These selfless acts from my grandmother and mother encouraged me to be just like them."

Scholarship Awarded: Migration Heritage General Foundation Scholarship

Award Amount: $500

Zamiah Brownlow first received The John M. and Annie N. Clark Memorial Scholarship of $2000 in 2021. She recently completed her first year at Mississippi College (Clinton, MS) and is beginning her sophomore year there. Her major is Nursing, and she hopes to become a Nurse Practitioner. As partial payment of the recurring award, MHF issued Zamiah $1000 of the Clark Memorial Scholarship for fall 2022, and will issue the remaining $1000 in Spring 2023, providing she maintains good academic standing.

 Ms. Brownlow is a 2021 graduate of Holmes County Central High School

 in Lexington, MS.  Her ancestors are natives of Holmes County, Mississippi.  She promises "to continue to lead by example for future scholarship recipients."

Mileston alum and retired business executive John M. Clark, Jr., and his wife Pearl support the memorial scholarship annually to honor the memory of John Jr.'s parents, who were lifelong pillars and leaders in the Tchula (Mileston) Community. The couple created the memorial scholarship valued at up to $2,000 as a means of helping deserving students with the rising costs of attending college. 

Wil'Tavious Williams first received The Geneva Nelson Memorial Scholarship of $1000 in 2021. He completed her first year of undergraduate studies at Mississippi College (MC) last spring. MHF awarded him the $800 recurring amount at the beginning of the fall 2022 term, and he is continuing to pursue an engineering major as a Sophomore at MC.

Mr. Williams is a 2021 graduate of J. Z. George High School in North Carrolton, Mississippi. He has deep ancestral roots in Holmes County and attributes his motivation to achieve to the inspirations his family planted. Wil'Tavious recalled, "My great-grandfather was a farmer and a bus driver for the public school system. In addition, he attended services at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Holmes County, where he has been a member since 1938. "The legacy of my great-grandfather has allowed me to acknowledge the impact that it has had in shaping me to be the kind of person I am today. As a result, I am determined to accomplish my goals, motivated to excel in all academic areas, and driven to put my best foot forward in this educational quest to obtain and earn my degree."

The Geneva Nelson (1936-2012) Memorial Scholarship was established in 2021 and supported by alums of Mileston Vocational School and Tchula Attendance Center (TAC) Tchula, Mississippi. Though many of her former students graduated and migrated from Mississippi, their fond memories of Ms. Nelson lingered. This award honors her memory and unselfish contributions to the economically, socially, and academically disadvantaged students in the Hills and Delta of Holmes County during the 1950s and 1960s.